Auxiliary emergency carburetor



Oct. 25, 1960 J. HOOPER 2,957,684

AUXILIARY EMERGENCY CARBURETOR Filed July 24, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 llllllllllflk I ill-$1 JA CK HOOPER INVENTOR.

MAM/M A T'TORNE Y United States Patent Q AUXILIARY EMERGENCY CARBURETOR Jack Hooper, 1318 N. 'Clements, Gainesville, Tex.

Filed July 24, 1958, Ser. No. 750,673

Claims. (Cl. 261-44) This invention relates to carburetors for internal combustion engines and has reference to an auxiliary emergency carburetor therefor.

While the invention may be adapted for use in conjunction with most conventional carburetors, it is particularly useful in aircraft where the need for auxiliary carburetion is often vital. For example, a rather frequent cause of engine failure is due to internal icing in the carburetor. Such icing takes place when the humidity is high and there is considerable temperature drop in the carburetor by reason of the expansion of fuel entering therein. The accumulated ice restricts the flow of air and thus enriches the fuel mixture to the extent that engine failure results. At such time auxiliary carburetion may be essential.

Another cause of engine failure is the sinking of the float within a conventional carburetor with the result that the fuel mixture becomes too rich. The present auxiliary carburetor does not have a float and is not dependent on such for a proper mixture. Other causes of engine failure, quickly avoided by use of the present invention, include water in the fuel, accumulated dirt in the main fuel line, or a break in the last referred to line.

The primary object of the invention is to overcome engine failure due to a faulty carburetor, but other objects will become apparent upon consideration of the following description of exemplary forms of the invention and the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of an auxiliary carburetor in accordance with the invention interposed between the intake manifold of an engine and a conventional carburetor, the latter being shown in elevation and broken section.

Figure 2 is a broken elevation and sectional view of the auxiliary carburetor shown in Figure 1,

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional view of a poppet type valve and its fuel mixture discharge port, both comprising features of the invention.

Figure 4 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of a modified form of the invention. 1

Figure 5 is a plan and broken sectional view of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a transverse sectional view taken approximately along line 66 of Figure 5.

A conventional updraft carburetor 10- is shown in Figure 1 of the drawing for illustrating the invention, but it is to be understood that the present auxiliary carburetor may be used with other types of carburetion including down draft and fuel injection. The carburetor- 10 includes the usual air inlet 11, venturi 12, fuel jet or nozzle 13, mixing chamber 14 above the venturi, throttle valve 15 in the mixing chamber, and a flange around the upper end of the mixing chamber for attachment with the inlet flange 17 on an engine intake manifold 18, the last referred to connection being by means of bolts, such as 19..

In the present invention, and now referring particularly to the form of the invention shown in Figures 1 through 3, the auxiliary carburetor 20 is comprised of a substantially flat elongated body 21 having bolt receiving holes 22 on opposite sides and at one end of the body for receiving bolts 19 for securing the device between the carburetor upper flange 16 and the manifold flange 17. Between the bolt holes 22, and vertically positioned through one end of the body 21, there is a cylindrical opening 23 of the same diameter as the mixing chamber, and when in place, becomes a part thereof.

The end of the body 21 including the cylindrical opening 23 is provided with a central removable cylindrical access plug 24, the outer end of which plug has an extending flange 25 and whereby the plug may be secured in the end of the body by means of screws or the like. The portion of the body 21 opposite the access plug 24 is provided with a poppet valve 26, the stem 27 of which extends through and is slideable in longitudinal bore 28 in said body. The extending end of the stem 28 is normally urged in a direction opposite the poppet valve head 29 by means of a coiled compression spring 30 which bears against a washer 31 secured on the end of said valve stem 27. The extending end of the stem 27, spring 30, and Washer 31 are located in a vertical opening 32 through the end of the body 21 opposite the plug 24, and a bell crank 33 extends inwardly through a lateral opening 34 in the body for engagement with the end of the valve stem 27. The bell crank is pivotally mounted in the lateral opening 34 by a vertical pin 35. It is to be understood that the bell crank 33 is connected by suitable means, not shown, such as a flexible cable, with a control handle or button accessible to the operator. It is to be noted that the diameter of the access plug is greater than the diameter of the poppet valve head 29 and whereby removal of the plug provides means for installing the poppet valve 26.

Relatively large air intake ports 36 are located in the sides of the body 21 and converge at a location just inwardly of the poppet valve head 29 where they communicate with a fuel mixture discharge port 37 which,

. in turn, communicates with the vertical opening 23 and carburetor mixing chamber 24. There is a valve seat 38 in the discharge port 37 with which the beveled periphery 39 of the poppet valve head makes contact when the valve is closed. In the illustrated form of the invention, the valve seat 38 is a resilient gasket, but obviously the seat may be a ground beveled surface, not shown.

Dual fuel lines 40 are connected with the sides of the body 21 at points between the transverse location of the poppet valve head 29 and the inlets of the air intake ports 36, and ports 41 in the body 21 connect the fuel lines with fuel outlets 42 in the valve seat 38. Prior to operation of the auxiliary carburetor 20, the fuel lines 40 and fuel ports 42 are filled with fuel by momentarily operating the poppet valve 26 when engine is first started.

The auxiliary carburetor illustrated in Figures 4 through 6 also includes a flat elongated body 51, vertical holes 52 through the sides of the body and at one end thereof for securing the same between a conventional carburetor 10 and an engine intake manifold 18 in the manner previously described. As in the first described form of the invention, there is a vertical opening 53 in the body of the same diameter as the carburetor mixing chamber 14 and a fuel mixture discharge port 54 in said opening in the side thereof including the remaining portion of the body. A poppet valve 55 seats in the end of the discharge port opposite the opening 53, the beveled head 56 of which valve is arranged opposite to that of the first described Valve 20. The fuel discharge port 54, outwardly of the valve head 56, opens to atmosphere and thus effects an air intake for the instant form of the invention. The stem 57 of the poppet valve 55 is slideably mounted through a supporting block 58, spaced from the body 51, which block is mounted on a flat base 59 secured at one end to the bottom and end of said body. Acoiled compression spring 60 "around the valve stem 57 bears against the block 58 and against the valve head '56, thus normally urging the latter to seat. The valve stem supporting block 58 and base 59 are secured to eachother by suitable means, such as screws, not shown.

Beneath the body-51 and adjacent the base 59 there is an additional block, herein referred to as the nozzle support 61, and which block includes a fuel port 62 extending to said base. Fuel is supplied through a e-onnection 63 in the base 59 which, in turn, is Connected with a tubular needle valve seat 64 by means of aport in said base, not'shown. As shown in Figure 4, the tubular needle valve seat extends into the fuel port 62 in the nozzle support 61 and accommodates the end of a needle valve 65, the stern of which is slideably mounted in the base 59 and extends outwardly thereof parallel with the poppet valve stem 57. A packing gland 67 may be provided in the base around the extending end of the needle valve stem 66. A vertical nozzle 63 is threadedly secured in the upper portion of the nozzle support 61 and the inner end of which nozzle communicates with the previously described fuel supply port 62, and the extending end of the nozzle 68 terminates approximately at the axis of the fuel discharge port 54.

The extending ends of the poppet valve stem 57 and needle valve stem 66 are threaded and receive pairs of nuts 69 and 70 thereon for connecting the two stems with each other by means of a cross member 71. It will be noted that the nuts 69 on the poppet valve 57 secure opposite sides of the cross member 71 at one end thereof, whereas the nuts 70, also on opposite sides of the cross member, are spaced from each other and include a coiled compression spring 72 on the inward side and whereby the needle valve 65 may seat prior to the poppet valve 55, yet permit both valves to completely seat when the instant form of the invention is in its closed position.

There is a bell crank 73 pivotally mounted on an ear 74 extending from the valve stem support 58, one arm of which bell crank engages the cross member 71 between the two valve stems 57 and 66 and the other arm of which bell crank is connected by suitable means to a control accessible ,to the operator in the manner described in connection with .the first form of the invention.

Both forms of the invention described operate in substantially the same manner. When it becomes apparent that the internal combustion engine maystop, the .operator closes the throttle valve in the conventional carburetor 10 and opens the poppet valve or 55. In the first form of the invention, the inward movement of the poppet valve head 29 opens the fuel ports 41 and this, together with the entrainment of air in the air intake ports 36, provides a mixture sufiicient to keep the engine running. In the second described form of the invention, the outward movement of the poppet valve 55 admits air and opens the needle valve 65 and thus permits flow of fuel to the nozzle 68 by reason of the two valve stems 57 and 66 being connected to each other by the cross member 71. In the last described form of the invention the needle valve 65 serves as a metering valve and whereby the auxiliary carburetor can take the place of the conventional carburetor if necessary.

' In both forms of the invention, heat from the engine melts any ice in the conventional carburetor when the auxiliary carburetor is in use.

The invention is not limited to 'the exemplary forms of the invention herein shown and described, but may be made in various ways within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An auxiliary carburetor for installation between a conventional carburetor having a mixing chamber therein and the intake manifold of an internal combustion engine, said auxiliary carburetor 'comprisig a fiat body having an opening therethrough in alignment with the mixing chamber of said conventional carburetor, a fuel mixture discharge port in said body communicating with said opening, a poppet valve seating in said discharge port, the axis of said poppet valve being perpendicular to the axis of said opening, means supplying air to said fuel mixture discharge port, means for supplying fuel to said fuel mixture discharge port and throttle means manually operating said poppet valve.

2. An auxiliary carburetor as defined in claim 1, and wherein the head of said poppet valve is directed toward the center of said opening in said body when said poppet valve is in its open position, and wherein said means supplying fuel to said fuel mixture discharge port includes a fuel supply port'communicating with the seat for said poppet valve.

3. An auxiliary carburetor as defined in claim 1, and wherein the head of said poppet valve is directed away from said opening when in its open position, and wherein said means supplying fuel to said discharge port includes a spray nozzle inwardly of said poppet valve head.

4. An auxiliary carburetor as defined in claim 2, and wherein said means supplying air to said discharge port includes at least two air intake ports in the sides of said body and communicates with said fuel mixture discharge port outwardly of the head of said poppet valve.

5. An auxiliary carburetor as defined in claim 1 and wherein said means supplying fuel to said fuel mixture discharge port includes a needle valve therein coupled with said poppet valve for simultaneous action therewith.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 903,206 Lawson Nov. 10, 1908 1,205,859 Cordle Nov. 21, 1916 1,778,931 Bicknell Oct. 21, 1930 1,858,057 Pilling May 10, 1932 1,977,661 Whitehurst Oct. 23, 1934 2,552,465 Spranger May 8, 1951 

